Crowds flocked to Lake Tahoe to celebrate the Fourth of July Tuesday, but unfortunately, they left the evidence behind.

The trash-covered beaches have become an every-year occurrence. So much so, that it's become a tradition for some groups to celebrate on the 4th and then assemble volunteers to clean up after everyone else on the 5th.

"When we walked out here this morning, there were broken floaties, lawn chairs left over, corn on the cobs just left, beer cans, everything," Keep Tahoe Blue Natural Resources Associate Savannah Rudroff said during this year's clean-up.

Volunteers found pizza boxes, wine bottles, old inner tubes, and lots of cigarette butts on Lake Tahoe's beaches Wednesday morning. They're just part of the more than 300 good Samaritans who dedicate their fifth of July every year to keeping Tahoe clean.

This year, 321 volunteers picked up more than 1,678 pounds of trash on 5.64 miles of beach. While the mess is frustrating, the mood was pretty positive. They said they're just grateful that this many people want to help.

"It's totally amazing that we have so many people participating in this clean-up, to get all of that off our beaches, and we can continue to enjoy them as they are," Rudroff said. "It's super important that we get all of the trash off of our beaches so that we can maintain the scenic quality of Lake Tahoe, but also the water quality of Lake Tahoe, and we can protect our wildlife that lives here."

The clean-ups are organized by Keep Tahoe Blue. If you couldn't join in the clean-up but still want to help, they take donations on their website, here.

View original post here:

Thousands of Pounds of Trash At Tahoe Beaches After 4th - KTVN ... - KTVN